Received laptop October 15, 2013
Today is June 16, 2018
Laptop has been working mostly well for 4 years, 8 months, 2 days so far. I never upgraded beyond 16 GB RAM, the only major issue over the years was the need for the keyboard replacement but since that (and with constant keyboard cover in place) no more keyboard issues. Only real issue is from a Windows 10 update and it breaks compatibility with the built in SD card reader and some USB flash drives. It's annoying but rarely an issue, just don't use either these days. I did get a USB 5 in 1 memory card reader that works just fine for SD cards now.
Anyway the system is honestly (and thankfully) still solid. I see no signs of it beginning to slow or fail (hopefully I don't jinx it) but I think 5 years wouldn't have been out of the question, possibly 6 or longer had I upgraded the RAM.
Instead I was fortunate to get an Origin PC laptop which I had to wait about 20 days for a replacement LCD screen to arrive before I was comfortable transferring over to the new machine. I got the new LCD in today and it looks awesome- a 4K display.
Still I will miss the roominess of this ASUS keyboard and the screen (at 17.3") is slightly larger and quite noticeable when the machines are next to each other. The Origin NS-17 screen is just barely 17 inches and the keyboard is more cramped. I just hope it lasts longer.
In coming days/weeks I hope to do a full comparison and review.